The New Visions: The Dragon's Heart
by Aynslesa
Summary: Hitomi thought it was over once she returned to her world. But now a new enemy as risen, one determined to destroy Gaea - and anyone connected to her. It's up to Hitomi to find a way to warn Gaea, and save her friends - before she loses everyone that she
1. The First Encounter

Author's Note: Hey, minna. This is Aynslesa Morro Wolf, with a brand new story. If any of you are familiar with my other works, you're probably looking at this and going: she's doing _another_ story? Well…yes. The good news on this one is that I've already got quite a few of the chapters written, and all I need to do is fine-tune a few of them before posting. For now, I'm just putting up Chapter One, mostly to introduce the story and get an idea of what people think. 

This is my first Escaflowne story, and I've been working on it for the better part of a year now. _The Dragon's Heart_ is only the first story in what's slated to be a trilogy, but depending on reader response and my own mind, it may turn out to be longer. This has been one of my favorites to work on, and I hope that all of you like it as well. _The New Visions_ begins approximately six months after the end of Escaflowne, and is my idea of a sequel to the show…because in my opinion, there should have been more than just 26 episodes. 

And with that, I leave you with the first chapter of _The New Visions: The Dragon's Heart_. Enjoy, and don't forget to leave a review! I'd love to know what you think. I'll have Chapter Two up as soon as it's done with the editing process.

**The New Visions: **

**The Dragon's Heart**

**Chapter One: The First Encounter**

"Hitomi, are you sure you don't want a ride home?" Yukari Ichiro called from the car she was standing by. Her boyfriend, Amano Katakori, was sitting behind the wheel. 

Hitomi Kanzaki, age sixteen, looked up from lacing her sneakers. "I'm sure," she called to her best friends. "You two go on so you don't miss that show. I think I'm just going to practice a little while longer." 

Yukari nodded. "Okay, just so long as you're sure. Don't wear yourself out too much, though. The meet's in a week, and we want you fresh! See you tomorrow!" She waved, then climbed into the passengers seat. Amano waved to Hitomi as well, then put the car in gear and drove off. 

Hitomi stood up and shook out her hair, then pulled it back into a ponytail. Since her adventures in Gaea, she'd let her hair grow out slightly. It was now down to her shoulders. She walked over to the track, stretched a little to get herself warmed back up, then took off at a slow jog around the track. 

It had been a year since she'd seen her friends in Gaea. Allen Shezar, the knight of Asturia. Merle, the little cat-girl she'd befriended after a lot of annoyance. Princess Millernia. Lord Dryden. Prince Chid. And the ones who she'd met who hadn't survived – a friend, some semi-friends, and one not-at-all-friend: Folken, Eriya, Naria, and Dilandau. Not a day went by that she didn't think of one or more of them. 

And Van. 

Automatically her hand went to her throat, where her grandmother's pendant had once hung. It wasn't there anymore. _Van, _she thought, _does my pendant hang around your neck now?_ For awhile after returning, she would see Van. But then he stopped coming. That had been a couple months ago, and she hadn't seen him since. 

Someone was watching her. 

The sensation came abruptly, causing her to stop in her tracks. She hadn't felt anything like that in almost a year. Her visions had stopped upon returning to Earth. 

Were they back? 

No, this was different. This wasn't a vision, just a feeling. But she knew, without a doubt, that someone was watching her. 

"Who's there?" she called, looking around. The track field was deserted. The sun was going down, the floodlight the only thing illuminating the track. Hitomi swallowed hard, and looked around one more time. 

No one. 

"Relax, Hitomi," she told herself. "It's just your imagination." Taking a deep breath, she took off at a fresh jog. 

She got halfway around the track before coming to a stop again. 

Someone laughed behind her. 

Hitomi spun around, and gasped at the person standing in the middle of the track. He was shrouded in shadow, and the large black cloak he wore wasn't helping matters much either. "Who are you?" she demanded. "Don't you know it's impolite to sneak up on people?"

The man laughed again. "Impolite, you say?" he said, chuckling softly. "This from a girl who consorts with half-bloods? That in itself is an insult to the Great Empire." 

She blinked. "What?" 

He stopped laughing and stepped forward, coming into the light. Hitomi's eyes widened. He was incredibly handsome, somewhere in-between Allen and Folken's looks. His hair was longer than Allen's, and pulled back. But there was a coldness on his face that grew colder as he looked at her. "So. Is it true, then, that the people nowadays know nothing about the Great Empire? Or have you just been so poisoned by the half-bloods that you know it only by the cursed names? The Land of Dragons, the Doomed City, the First Gaea?" He said these names with such bitterness that Hitomi almost felt sorry for him – but she still didn't know what he was talking about. 

The man narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm disappointed. Not that it matters, of course – I'm not here to chat with you like a simple person." He swept his cloak back, revealing shining white and silver armor. With one clean movement, he removed a sword from his sheath. "I'm here to kill you."

Hitomi gasped, and took a step back. "What for? What did I ever do to you?" 

"You consort with half-bloods," replied the man. "In fact, you fell in love with one – did you not?" 

Hitomi froze. _Love_… "You mean Van, don't you," she said slowly.

"Is that the name of that heathen brat?" the man asked in a bored tone of voice. "It's still hard for us of the Great Empire to believe that such a young, beautiful maiden such as Varie would ever stoop so low as to have relations with humans. But then, what can you expect from those who left the homeland?" 

Hitomi was trying to grasp what her relationship with Van had to do with this, but it was sort of hard to think with that sword pointed in her face. "So…you want to kill me because I love Van? But I haven't even seen him in a year!" 

"Doesn't matter," the man replied. "So long as there are ties on Earth, this planet will never be clean of Gaea. Therefore, you must die." He looked at his sword. "Hmm. I wouldn't want to waste my sword on a slip of a girl like you." He sheathed it. "I have a better idea." 

Hitomi's eyes widened as she saw the man hold out his hand. A ball of energy began to collect within it, bright white with a crackling center. Hitomi stared at it, mesmerized. 

The man pulled back his arm, and the energy ball was aimed directly at her. Only then did Hitomi realize that the beautiful ball of light was meant to destroy her. 

The ball was launched, and she couldn't move. 

Something shot out of the shadows with a fierce roar, startling the man, causing him to screw up his aim. The newcomer grabbed Hitomi and pulled her out of the way, practically throwing her to the ground. Then he turned and faced the man. 

Hitomi stared at this new person. It was a man, she guessed, by his height and build, but that was about it. He was dressed in a cloak similar to the man's, only longer and with a hood. He growled softly, and was immediately in a defensive position. 

_Who is this?_ thought Hitomi.

The man narrowed his eyes. "You. You smell of _them_. What are _you_ doing here?"

Her defender growled again, and reached into his cloak. He removed a long sword with his left hand, which was odd to Hitomi, because the sword had been attached to his left side. Usually swords were drawn crosswise. The action was oddly familiar, but she couldn't place it. 

"Well," the man said, "it would seem the girl gets to live another day. But I warn you, boy – you will not always be there to protect her. I don't know what importance this girl has to any of you, but you will not save her. There are too many of us." The man stepped back into the shadows, and then faded away.

Hitomi looked at her rescuer. "Thanks," she said, standing up and brushing the dirt off of her shorts. "I thought he had me. Who was he?" 

The cloaked man turned to look at her, and Hitomi was disappointed that she couldn't make out a face. She stepped closer, and he stepped away. As he did so, he sheathed his sword – left to left, again. 

"Have we…met?" she asked uncertainly. 

He looked at her – or, she assumed he was looking at her. Then, slowly, he lifted his hand to his face and covered what must've been his lips with one finger – shhh. He was signaling her to be quiet.

"I shouldn't tell anybody about this?" she asked.

He nodded. 

"But _have_ we met?" 

The man cocked his head in a thoughtful motion, then nodded slowly. Then he turned to leave. 

"Wait!" Hitomi said. "What if that man comes back? Will you come back? Who _are _you? Answer me!" 

But the man just shook his head, and walked into the shadows. Then he, too, seemingly vanished. 

Hitomi stared after him. _Who are you?_  __


	2. Mysterious Savior

**The New Visions: The Dragon's Heart**

**Chapter Two: Mysterious Savior**

_One month later…_

Hitomi couldn't seem to concentrate. Her textbooks were open in front of her, ready for some serious studying. She had a massive test in two days, and needed all the review she could get. Since the appearance of that strange man, though, she hadn't been able to concentrate at all. Yukari had offered to study with her, but Hitomi had declined. Now she wished she hadn't. Having Yukari around would at least get her mind off of what had happened. 

Sighing in disgust, Hitomi tossed down her pencil and flopped back onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling. "What is wrong with me?" she sighed. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about what happened at _all!_ What was all that talk about Van and the 'Great Empire'? Who _was_ that guy?!" 

_Which guy?_ her mind asked. 

Which guy indeed. Did she mean the one who had tried to kill her, or the one who had saved her? 

He had appeared two more times, both when Hitomi's life had been in danger. Neither time had Hitomi told Yukari or Amano. It had always occurred when she was alone. Once more at the track field, and then another in the park. Hitomi had started to hide herself at home, but she still didn't know who it was who was attacking her, or who it was who protected her. 

So, which guy? Her savior, or her assassin? 

"Both of them," Hitomi said, sitting up. She ran her hands through her hair and sighed. "ARGH! This is pathetic! I'm not even sure it really happened!" 

"Hitomi?" 

Startled, Hitomi looked up and saw Yukari standing in the doorway. "Yukari," she said. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to the library to study."

Yukari smiled slightly. "I decided to come keep you company. You seem like you have a lot on your mind. Your mother let me in downstairs. Can I come in?"

"Of course," Hitomi said absently, reaching down and picking up her pencil. As she did, she glanced out the window. 

Her mother's car was not in the driveway. 

It was Saturday. Her mother was at her brother's soccer game. 

Her mother was not home.

Her mother could not have let Yukari in. 

Hitomi looked up and gasped as "Yukari" grabbed her shoulders and pushed her down onto the bed. In one fluid motion, "Yukari" picked up Hitomi's pillow and pressed it over her face. Hitomi struggled under the creature that looked like her best friend, but was obviously not. However, this "Yukari" possessed abnormal strength, and for all her struggling, Hitomi couldn't move. 

"Yukari" grinned down at the dying girl. _Yes_, she thought, _just a little longer. Just a few more minutes._

There was the sound of glass shattering downstairs, and then someone pounding up the stairs of the house. "Yukari" barely had time to register it before the person was in the house, had his arm around her neck, and had hauled her away from Hitomi. "Yukari" clawed at the arm, her fingernails growing sharper in panic. 

Hitomi tossed away the pillow and rolled onto her side, gasping for air. In the same room, she could hear the thing that had tried to kill her also struggling to breathe as her mysterious protector once again saved her life. There was a choked gasp, and then a sharp crack, followed by a soft thump on the floor. 

Hitomi coughed, and managed to sit up. She looked at the limp form of her attacker, who still wore her best friend's body, and shuddered. She could hardly stand to look at it. Then, right before her eyes, it faded away. 

Her savior was still in the room, and it was to him she turned now. "You saved my life, again," she said, her voice slightly raspy from nearly being smothered. "This is the fourth time." 

He nodded, and turned towards the door. 

With surprising speed, she shot forward and slammed her bedroom door closed. Hitomi whirled around to face her cloaked rescuer. "Who are you?!" she demanded. "I demand to know! I have a right to know! Who are you? Who are these…these _things_ that keep attacking me?! Tell me!" 

The man stared at her, then turned away. 

"Tell me!" Hitomi shouted. 

"You haven't changed at all," he said softly.

Hitomi froze. That voice…

_"I saw it! You're…you're going to die!" _

_"I'm already dying." _

"I thought that I had finally attained the rest that I deserved," he continued, moving to her window and staring up at the moon. "My entire world had been turned upside down not once, but twice. First, when I should've died. Again, when I found myself reborn. And then I died for real." 

"You're…" 

_"Who was that man, Van?"_

_"He was my…"_

Hitomi sat down on the edge of her bed and stared at him. "How?" she whispered. "How can you possibly be alive?"

"I'm not sure," he replied. "I know that I did die. That was my fate, naturally. But I was barely in my grave before I suddenly found myself here, on this planet. A world that I knew nothing about. And then I discovered that, in fact, a year had gone by since my death. To me, it had only seemed to be a few minutes. I suppose time is meaningless when you're dead." 

"You were alone?" Hitomi asked.

"No," he replied. "I came with them."

"Them?"

_"I would do anything…for him."_

_"Naria…"_

"I see," Hitomi said. "Who are they? Who are the ones who keep attacking me?"

"I'm…not sure of everything," he replied. "All I know is, I was sent here to protect you. They were sent to help me. And the ones who want you dead, want me dead as well. It took me awhile to find you, but I encountered them almost immediately. I've been doing everything in my power to keep them from you until I found you. It seems I did a good job."

"Why didn't you tell me any of this before?" she asked. "When I first asked you?"

"I wasn't sure," he said, turning to face her. "I wasn't sure if you'd remember me. Or…if you'd trust me. I haven't changed, Hitomi. I'm still the same man I was." He laughed derisively. "Well…something of a man."

"You mean…your arm…" 

_"My arm was removed by a dragon. It was replaced…by Dornkirk. I owed him my life." _

"Resurrection, apparently, does not mean renewal." He pulled back his cloak and held up his right arm, revealing the metal monstrosity that replaced flesh and bone. "But enough about me. How have you been?"

"Oh, no, you don't!" Hitomi said, shaking her head. "You're not going to dodge my questions like that."

"Oh?" He reached up and lowered the hood on his cloak, and Hitomi's eyes widened at the sight of his rare smile. "There's no need to be so serious, Hitomi. You can't be over prepared." 

She frowned at him. "What is going on?"

He sighed. "I can see you won't be satisfied until I answer you," he said. "All right – here's what I do know. I was sent here to be your protector in the absence of Van. I don't know who it is who wants you dead, except that they seem to hate Draconians, and anyone connected in the slightest way to them. Your friends, your family – if any of them know about Gaea, and they find out, they'll be in danger as well. They don't know…do they?"

"I never told my family what happened, although I think my mother guessed. Grandma used to tell her stories." Hitomi bit her lip. "She died awhile ago. The only people I did tell were Yukari…and…Amano…" Her eyes widened, and she looked up at him.

He was grim. "I suggest you talk with them. They could be in just as much danger as you." 

"Why are you doing this?" Hitomi couldn't help asking. "You don't owe me anything. You could make yourself a new life here." 

"I told you, I know next to nothing about this world. And besides, I doubt the twins would fit in well with society." He sighed and looked back up at the moon. "In any case, I suppose you could say that this is my…retribution." 

_"Are you sure? He's your brother, after all." _

_"I am a man who destroyed his own country." _

She looked up at him, at the familiar eyes that looked so sad. They had always looked sad, the entire time she had known him. Even when…he was her enemy. 

"So what now?" she asked.

"Contact your friends," he replied. "Make them listen to you." He turned towards the door again.

"Where are you going?" Hitomi demanded. 

"I broke a window downstairs," he replied. "I'm going to go put something over it. Don't worry. I won't leave. They're getting more aggressive, and it isn't safe. We can figure something out tomorrow." Then he paused. "That is…if you trust me."

She looked at him for a minute, very seriously. Then she smiled. "Yes. I trust you…Folken." 

*****

Author's Notes: Second chapter out! Took me longer to edit this one that I expected. Sorry about the delay! So. Does this make anything clearer, or just confuse you even more? An explanation of just what the heck Folken is doing here will come in the next chapter, which should be out in a week or two, possibly sooner – finals are next week, and then I have much more time. I apologize if any of the wording in the flashbacks were off – I was doing those from memory. I'm almost positive that each of those correspond with a scene in the anime, but I don't think those precise words were used. I didn't have access to my copies of the episodes when I was writing them. I hope none of you mind too much – I strive for accuracy, but sometimes even I can't be perfect. 

At any rate, Chapter Three  will be out within a week or so, so I hope you all stick with this while you wait. Any questions or comments in reviews will be highly appreciated. And now, before I go, a few comments on reviews for Chapter One:

Inda: I have every intention of continuing. And nope, not Van, though I assume you've figured that out by now. Van doesn't appear until much, much later in the series – though he _will_ be here. Part of this story, after all, is romance. 

Raigne: Yes, I have a planned set of three stories at this time – this one, and then two more afterwards that are in the planning stages. As for the comment of "you smell of them" – I wish I could enlighten you a bit on that at this time, but doing so would give away a _lot_ about the enemy. You'll have to wait and see on that. 

Sqeekers: Here's hoping you like this chapter just as much as the first. Thanks for the review! 

Nicole: Sorry this update was a little longer than I originally said – Chapter Three should probably take about this long, if not sooner. I don't plan on taking forever with it – I just need to proofread it before posting it. 

Sakura17: ::grins:: Thanks. I'm really fond of this story – glad you like it, too. Happy reading! 

So I'll see everyone next time, then. For now, read, review, and enjoy! 

~ Aynslesa Morro Wolf


	3. Not a Dream

**The New Visions: The Dragon's Heart**

**Chapter Three: Not a Dream **

When Hitomi awoke the next morning, she wasn't even aware of when she had fallen asleep. She was curled up on her bed, hugging her pillow tight against her chest, pushed towards the corner of the room. The curtains on her window were drawn shut, and the door was locked. It took her a minute to remember what had happened last night, and that made her sit straight up and look around.

She sighed with relief and a little amazement.

Curled up in the chair in the opposite corner from her bed was Folken Lacur de Fanel, the lost prince of Fanelia. He was using his long black cloak as a blanket, and appeared to be sleeping. But the moment she swung her legs around and stood up from her bed, he opened his eyes and looked at her. "Sleep well?" he asked.

"As well as can be expected," Hitomi said. "And you? That chair doesn't look too comfortable."

"I was fine," replied Folken, rising from the chair. Hitomi was surprised to see that he wore clothes typical of Earth, not of Gaea.

"Jeans and a tank top," Hitomi said, raising an eyebrow. "Interesting."

"I've lived in this world for almost a year now," replied Folken. "We've all adjusted somewhat."

"We?" repeated Hitomi.

Folken nodded. "Eriya and Naria were sent back with me."

"Naria," murmured Hitomi, remembering the silver-haired cat-woman she had somewhat befriended back on Gaea. She'd never gotten a chance to meet Naria's sister, though. Maybe she would now.

Then the conversation from the night before stepped forward in her mind, and her hands flew to her mouth. "Yukari! Amano! I have to warn them!" She hurried to her bedroom door.

Folken reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her. "I called Eriya and Naria last night," he said, "and gave them their addresses. I found them in your address book. I hope you don't mind - you were asleep by then. They should be watching your friends right now."

"I'd feel better if I knew for sure," Hitomi replied.

Folken nodded. "I understand. But I'm sure your friends aren't aware that –" At that precise moment the telephone rang, and Hitomi pulled her arm out of his grasp, unlocked her door, and dashed to pick it up before the caller hung up.

"Moshi moshi!" Hitomi said breathlessly.

"_Hitomi, what in the world is going on here?!_" Yukari's voice echoed over the line. "_I woke up this morning to find this…this cat girl sitting outside my window! And Amano found one outside his, too! Right away I remembered those crazy stories you told us after you disappeared for awhile last year! What is going on?_"

"Hold on, Yukari," Hitomi said. She covered the receiver and looked at Folken, who had followed her downstairs. "They aren't doing a very good job of staying hidden," she hissed. "Yukari and Amano both found them outside their windows this morning."

Folken sighed. "Are they there now?"

Hitomi turned back to the phone. "Yukari. Are the cat girls still there?"

"_Yes!_" Yukari exclaimed. "_They're talking to each other, but Amano and I can't understand a word they're saying, and they don't understand us!_"

Hitomi groaned inwardly. "Put one of them on the phone. The silver-haired one."

Yukari muttered something Hitomi didn't quite catch, but she heard the sound of the phone receiver being passed to someone. "_Hitomi?_"

"Naria!" Hitomi said, smiling. "Listen, Yukari and Amano don't speak Gaean, and you don't speak Japanese, do you?"

"_Not a word._ _Lord Folken can, but not us._"

_Interesting,_ thought Hitomi. "Well, I need you to bring Yukari and Amano over to my house. Put Yukari back on, and I'll tell her, too. She knows where I live."

"_Is Lord Folken with her?_" Hitomi heard another voice in the background ask Naria. Hitomi assumed it was Eriya.

"Yes," Hitomi replied when the question was repeated to her. "Can I talk to Yukari again?"

There was the sound of the phone changing hands again, and Yukari's voice came back. "_Well?_"

"Come over to my house," Hitomi said. "I promise that I'll fill you in on a few things when you do. But, Yukari…you can't call what I told you crazy. I understand, but you might offend certain people."

"_But they can't understand me_," Yukari said.

"The one here can," Hitomi said. "Please, Yukari, just listen to me."

Yukari was silent on the other end. "Yukari?" Hitomi asked tentatively.

"_I hope you know what you're doing,_" Yukari said. "_And you better have a good explanation, Hitomi. Sayonara._"

"Sayonara," Hitomi said. She hung up the receiver and turned to face Folken. "They're on their way."

Folken nodded and went to the window at the front of the house. He drew back the curtains just enough for him to be able to look out of them, but positioned himself so that no one outside would be able to see him. "Why don't you go get dressed?"

Hitomi looked down at herself and blushed when she realized that she was still dressed in her nightgown. "Um…yeah. Bye." She darted for the stairs and charged up them with all the speed of a track star - which was good considering she _was_ a track star. Folken shook his head in amusement, but maintained a watchful eye outside.

Hitomi pulled on a shirt and skirt, sighing as she ran her fingers through her hair. She didn't feel like messing with it, so she pulled it back in a ponytail instead. Getting down on her hands and knees, she felt around under her bed for her indoor shoes, which she knew she had kicked under the bed the night before. Finding them, she slipped them on and looked at herself in the mirror. _Even with crazy people after me, I can still look pretty good_, she thought, smiling.

Her gaze fell on a small Chinese jade and gold box that her grandmother had given her before she'd passed away. There was a gold inlay of a dragon on the top, and the craftsmanship was beautiful. Hitomi opened the box and removed a long white feather from it. _Van_, she thought, stroking the feather gently. She reached up and tucked the feather behind her ear for good luck. She had a feeling she'd be needing it.

Downstairs, she heard the sound of the doorbell. "Don't answer it!" she called to Folken as she hurried out of her room. When she reached the front room again, she was that Folken was standing just beside the door, and was eyeing it suspiciously.

"It's a doorbell," Hitomi said when the bell rang again, and Folken tensed. She couldn't help but laugh at his suspicious expression. Hitomi hurried to the door and unlocked it.

Yukari and Amano were standing there, and right behind them, glancing around nervously, were Eriya and Naria. "Come in," Hitomi said, stepping to one side to let them through. Yukari and Amano stepped inside cautiously, but the cat-women bounded in and immediately made a bee-line for Folken.

"Lord Folken!" Eriya shouted as she threw her arms around his neck. Naria wrapped her own arms around his waist and snuggled up to him. "We're glad you're okay," Naria added.

"It's good to see that you two made it here safely," Folken said to the girls affectionately. Hitomi smiled at the sight, then noticed that her friends were eyeing the trio with more than a little apprehension. Her smile faded, and she cleared her throat.

"Why don't we all have a seat?" she asked, motioning to the living room. "My room isn't big enough for all of us, but my parents are at work, and my brother spent the night at a friend's house. We have the whole house to ourselves."

Once they were settled, there was silence in the room. After a minute, Hitomi took a deep breath and smiled encouragingly. "Where should we start?"

"How about with what's going on?" Yukari said, glancing quickly at Naria. The cat was alternately looking from Folken to Hitomi to Yukari, and back to Folken. "Who are they?"

Hitomi nodded. "Amano, Yukari – do you remember me telling you about Gaea?"

"Yeah," Amano said, nodding. He arched one eyebrow. "I figured this was somehow connected to that story."

"I know that you two didn't really believe me," Hitomi said, "although it was nice of you to listen. But I'm afraid that telling you was probably the worse thing I could do, because now, whether or not you believed me doesn't matter. The fact that you even know what Gaea is has marked you as targets."

"Targets?" Yukari repeated.

"To understand, I need to tell you some of Gaea's history," Hitomi said. "The world of Gaea was created by the survivors of Atlantis, and most of them went to this world after Atlantis was destroyed. For the most part, the Atlanteans, or Draconians, disappeared - but some of their descendants remained."

"That boy," Yukari said slowly. "The one that came out of that pillar of light you disappeared into - was he…?"

"Van Slanzer de Fanel, king of Fanelia, is one of the last descendants of Atlantis," Folken said. "I, Folken Lacur de Fanel, am the other descendant. As far as we know, we're the only two Draconians left alive, and I'm supposed to be dead."

"Excuse me?" Amano looked at him, confused. "_Supposed_ to be dead?"

"We're not sure what's going on there," Hitomi said hurriedly. "Anyway, from what these assassins that have been after me have said so far, and from what Folken managed to tell me, there were more survivors of Atlantis than the ones that went to Gaea. Several full-bloods survived here on Earth, and now they've decided that they don't want to hide anymore."

"For some reason, they want to destroy Gaea," Folken continued. "And to do that, they must destroy any connection to Gaea on this world. Hitomi is one connection. The two of you, by knowing of Gaea, are another connection." Folken glanced at Hitomi. "And that feather tucked behind Hitomi's ear, which I'm assuming is from my brother, must be another connection."

"But they wouldn't be threatened by a _feather_," Amano said, frowning. "Would they?"

Folken shrugged. "Who's to say?"

"The long and short of it is, these assassins have come after me several times," Hitomi said. "The last one used Yukari's form to trick me, and it nearly worked. I'd be dead if it weren't for Folken. They might come after both of you at any time."

"What are you saying?" Yukari asked.

"You need to be careful," Folken replied. "Eriya and Naria will keep an eye on you two, while I guard Hitomi. They'll follow you wherever you go, but you shouldn't call attention to them if you see them. Just be content with knowing they're there, and they won't let anything happen to you. It's all we can do for now."

_For now_, thought Hitomi, biting her lip. _But when will that stop being enough?_

"Forgive me for failing you, master."

The High Priest glared at the Atlantean kneeling before him. His huge white wings ruffled slightly in the breeze. "First Jessiro failed to take care of the Wing Goddess, now you have failed to bring me the Heart of the Dragon! How much longer to I have to wait, Nicra?"

Nicra clenched his teeth and drew in a shuddering breath. "I swear to you that I will find it!" he pleaded. "Just give me another chance!"

The High Priest frowned, his eyes narrowed. He glanced over to the side. "What do you think, Martear?"

The young female clad in the garb of a priestess smiled coyly. "What harm would there be?" Martear asked. "We are lacking in good scouts, and Nicra _is_ the only one with a clue to the location of the Heart of the Dragon. Leave it to him. That's not what concerns me."

"Oh?" The High Priest turned to her. "And what _does_ concern you, my love?"

Martear frowned as she gazed into the crystal floating before her. "The renegade halfblood," she said softly. "Folken Lacur de Fanel. He protects the Wing Goddess, and it will be much harder to destroy her because of that. He has affection for her, like a brother would have for a sister."

"Varie's eldest," the High Priest said sadly. "Such a shame he had to be contaminated by _human_ blood." He looked at her with interest. "Do you have a plan, my love?"

A smile curled onto Martear's face. "Something like that, Your Excellency. Something like that."

A few hours later, Yukari and Amano had gone back to their homes with Naria and Eriya tailing them, leaving Hitomi and Folken alone. Hitomi checked the clock on the stove and noted that her parents would probably be home soon - it was a miracle that they had come home from work the night before, and then left for it again that morning, and hadn't noticed Folken. It was also luck that her brother hadn't been home, either. He had a habit of waking her up in unpleasant ways on the weekend. So to take her mind off of things, she decided to put together lunch.

"What are you cooking?" Folken asked curiously as he came into the kitchen. He was wearing his cloak again, securing it around his prosthetic arm to hide it from sight. "It smells interesting."

"It's just beef stew," Hitomi replied. She added a few more ingredients and stirred them into the pan.

Folken looked skeptical. "There's a lot more in there than beef," he said.

"A lot of vegetables," Hitomi said. She turned away from the stew and started focusing on another pot.

"And that?" Folken asked.

"Rice," was the answer.

"Well, that I can at least identify," commented the Draconian.

Hitomi stuck her tongue out at him before turning back to the stew. "Could you get the dishes out, please? Five of them. Mom, Dad, and my brother should be joining us."

Folken paused. "Are they…going to be okay with me?"

Hitomi bit her lip. "I never told them about Gaea…only my grandmother knew, and I think she told my mother - Mama will probably guess, and she pretty much rules the house. I think it'll be fine." Suddenly her eyes lit up. "I know! I'll tell them you're the older brother of my overseas boyfriend, and that you stopped by on a visit to Japan! They'll believe that!"

"Your overseas boyfriend?" Folken stared at her.

Hitomi nodded. "When I went missing, to tell my family where I was I told them that I'd taken a trip to Kyoto, where I met a foreign exchange student and fell in love with him. When he went back to America, I came back home." She shrugged. "I got into a lot of trouble for that, but fortunately they were so happy to have me home that it wasn't too bad. And Grandma made them go easier on me. She'd been to Gaea, too." Hitomi sighed and looked out the window. "I miss her a lot - it's hard to believe she's gone."

"I'm sorry," Folken said sincerely. "So I'm supposed to be the older brother? What if they ask questions?"

"Just be truthful," Hitomi said. She smiled impishly. "I told them his name was Van."

Folken nearly dropped the plate he was holding and burst out into laughter. "So you basically told them that you and my brother had a secret love tryst in this Kyoto place until he had to go home…oh, Van would get a kick out of that."

"I hope to tell him about it someday," Hitomi said, smiling softly. She sighed. "Do you ever miss him, Folken?"

Folken nodded. "Everyday," he replied. "Even when I was with Zaibach, I missed him." Then the sad look on his face faded away, and he stiffened. "Did you hear that?"

Hitomi frowned and listened, then shook her head. "No. What?"

"Something…on the roof."

Folken and Hitomi looked at each other, then Folken brought up a finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet. He crept towards the stairs, looking up at the ceiling. Hitomi followed, trying not to make a sound.

Away from the noise of the cookery, they heard it clearly.

_THUD._

"Atlantean?" Hitomi whispered.

"Or something like it," Folken replied. "I think leaving would be a good idea."

"But lunch…"

"Forget lunch. Put on your shoes and follow me." He hurried to the front door and opened it slowly, then shook his head. "No good. They'll pounce in no time." Hitomi came up behind him, her shoes and a jacket on. "Turn off the stove and come upstairs. I noticed that one of the rooms has a balcony."

"My parents'," Hitomi said as she went into the kitchen. "It faces the back."

"Good." Folken started upstairs, pausing to let her catch up. "It'll be watching the front."

Together, trying to make as little sound as possible, Hitomi and Folken made their way into her parents' room. While Folken worked to open the balcony door with as little sound as possible, Hitomi racked her brain for anything important to take. She reached up and removed the feather from behind her ear and carefully tucked it into the waistband of her skirt, then scooped up her mother's cell phone lying on the dresser.

Folken unhooked his shirt, letting it fall down around his waist, and motioned for Hitomi to come forward. She stepped in front of him and let him pick her up, and they stepped onto the balcony. With a soft grunt, there's was a rustle and then a freefall of black feathers around them. Hitomi wrapped her arms around Folken's neck and held on tightly as, without another second's hesitation, the older Draconian launched himself off the balcony.

They dropped for about a foot before Folken's wings picked up the updraft of wind, and then they were flying. Hitomi drew in a sharp breath at the speed, and realized that it had been a long time since she had done this. "How far can we go?" she asked Folken. "Before you get tired, I mean?"

"Look behind me."

Hitomi shifted her weight in his arms and looked over his shoulder…and almost gasped in shock.

Rising from her house was what looked like…what had to be…but it couldn't have been…the roof never would have held it…

Sure enough, a second later the roof to her house caved in from the sheer force of the wings beating the air.

And the dragon lifted off and flew after them, smoke curling from its nostrils as it sought out its prey.

"Is it what I think it is?" Folken asked.

"What do you think it is?" Hitomi asked shakily.

"A dragon."

"Yes."

"K'so." Folken growled to himself. "Hang on, Hitomi. This is going to be rough."


	4. Close Call

**The New Visions: The Dragon's Heart**

**Chapter Four: Close Call**

"Hang on, Hitomi!"

Hitomi tightened her hold around Folken's neck as he pulled his wings back tight against his body. The wind whipped around them as he suddenly went into a swift dive. She risked opening her eyes to look behind them, and saw that the dragon was leaping for the ground to try to intercept them.

Suddenly Folken opened his wings completely and caught a large gust of wind, propelling him upwards only a few feet from the waiting dragon. The giant reptile was taken by surprise as suddenly its target was soaring away from it.

"We're going high!" Hitomi gasped. It'd been too long since she'd flown this high in something that wasn't an airplane.

"We'll be going low in a moment," Folken replied. "Tell me when the dragon's in the air again."

"O-okay." Hitomi adjusted herself so that she could look over his shoulder with ease, and she could see the dragon leaping into the air a second later. "Now!"

Once again Folken went into a dive, almost faster than the previous one, and once again the flying dragon had to readjust itself to hit the ground to intercept them. And just as before, Folken opened his wings, caught a draft, and was lifted into the air.

"You're playing with it!" Hitomi gasped.

Folken chuckled softly. "Dragons, for the most part, run on instinct. This one is no exception. It has its orders, but it doesn't know enough to adjust." Hitomi stopped his monologue briefly to tell him that the dragon was in the air again, then braced herself for the next dive. When they were snapping out of it, he continued. "A few more shots like this, and it'll either damage itself or become exhausted. Then we can escape."

"Where will we go?" Hitomi asked as they dodged the dragon again. "And do you know that we're heading closer to the center of the city? There are a lot more people there."

"We're almost clear," Folken replied. "See how it's laboring?"

Hitomi eyed the dragon, and saw that Folken was right. The dragon was struggling to lift off the ground again, though it did eventually get up. "Why doesn't it breathe at us or something?" she asked, frowning.

"It can't while in constant motion," Folken replied. He pulled back his wings, dove, and snapped back just in time. This time, as the dragon aimed for the ground, it misjudged its landing and crashed, head first, into the concrete road. Hitomi winced as several cars just barely missed crashing into it, but most of the pedestrians and drivers had already stopped what they were doing to stare at the chase in awe. With the dragon distracted, Folken spread his wings open all the way, caught another headwind, and rose higher into the air.

"Where are we going?" Hitomi repeated.

"Eriya, Naria, and I have a safehouse that we've been staying in since we came to this world," he replied. "I wish I had time to tell them where we were going, though."

"We can call on my mom's phone," Hitomi replied. She glanced nervously over his shoulder again, and sighed in relief when she saw that the dragon was nowhere in sight. "We lost it."

"Unfortunately, it's pretty obvious that the Atlanteans are getting desperate," Folken said, a worried look on his face. "They sent a dragon after me - a creature of my own blood. They had to have known that I'd know how to escape from it."

Suddenly Hitomi knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that they were being watched. She snapped her head around, looking to the side. For a brief moment, she could make out the form of a tall woman with huge white wings, dressed in the garb of a priestess. She had a look of absolute fury on her face as her cold eyes met with Hitomi's - and then she was gone.

_I knew she was there_, Hitomi thought. _Is my power coming back?_

"Hitomi?"

She snapped out of it at the sound of Folken's voice. "Yes?" she asked.

"We're almost there." He was adjusting his wings, lowering his altitude, and now Hitomi could see their destination. She was surprised to see that they were already outside the city limits. _I must have been more out of it than I thought_, she mused.

Standing by itself, empty lots on both sides of it, stood a small, one story Japanese house. It was cute, she noted, more of the ancient Japanese style than the modern ones that she was used to. Folken lowered himself to the ground and landed nimbly on the wraparound porch of the house.

He lowered Hitomi to the floor and retracted his huge wings, refastening his shirt in the process. "Come in," Folken said, opening the door and stepping aside to let her in.

The inside was sparsely furnished, but it suited the style. Tatami mats covered the floors, and Hitomi made sure to remove her shoes before stepping onto it. The main room contained a kitchen off to one side, a low horigotatsu in the middle of the room over a koutatsu and surrounded by several zabuton. Two doorways led out of the main room, one closed, the other open and leading into another large room. Through the doorway, Hitomi could just make out a futon covered with a kakebuton.

"This is…your home?" Hitomi asked.

"This is where Naria, Eriya, and myself have been living since we were brought back to life," Folken replied.

"How did you manage to buy it?" Hitomi asked, glancing at him. "No offense, but I don't think you could've known enough to purchase this house."

"It was done in advance," Folken replied. "When we came to this world, we were already in this room. It was already furnished as well. I think this house was created for us."

Hitomi walked further into the main room and stared out the row of windows that looked out onto a small garden and pond. She felt an odd tingling run down her spine, and gasped softly. "Did you feel that?"

"Feel what?" Folken asked, walking in behind her and sliding the front door closed behind him.

"There's power in this place," Hitomi whispered, her hand automatically flying to her neck where her pendant once hung. She could almost feel its weight, even though she knew it was impossible - the pendant was on Gaea, after all.

"Power?" He stepped up beside her and looked at her with concern. "What do you mean?"

"Power." Hitomi closed her eyes and bit her lip. "Someone used great power to create this place for you."

"Really?" Folken looked at her with interest. "What sort of power?"

"I'm not sure," Hitomi said, opening her eyes. "It feels like the power that the energists gave off - the power of Atlantis - but that wouldn't make sense, now, would it?"

"I don't know," Folken said. "I'm not entirely sure if our enemies are all of Atlantis or just part of it. In any case - we've got something more important to deal with. Can you call your friends now?"

"Sure." Hitomi pulled the cell phone out of her pocket and quickly dialed Yukari's number. When there was no answer, she hung it up and dialed Amano.

"_Moshi__ moshi__, Katakori residence._"

"Amano?"

"_Hitomi?__ Are you okay? We just saw on the news that there was a dragon in your neighborhood - a real dragon, just like the one that attacked when you went to Gaea for the first time._"

"I know, I know," Hitomi said. "Folken and I are fine - I need to speak to Naria, okay?"

"_One second_."

There was a pause, and then Hitomi heard Naria's voice. "_Hitomi?_"

"Folken and I have had to retreat to the safehouse," Hitomi said. "Can you get Yukari and Amano here?"

"_Of course_," Naria said. "_How is Lord Folken?_"

"A little tired." Hitomi glanced at Folken, who looked like he was about to fall asleep. "He played tag with the dragon earlier."

"_Just so long as he's okay.__ The four of us will be there soon. Are you sure nobody followed you?_"

"I'm almost positive," Hitomi said, "but you might want to be careful anyway. Amano can probably drive you - oh, but he won't be able to understand your directions…"

Naria laughed softly. "_Actually, we're beginning to understand each other. I don't know why, but they're beginning to understand Gaean._"

"Are you serious?" Hitomi gasped. "Oh, that'll make this so much easier. Listen, we can talk more about this when you guys get here - Folken and I won't move in the mean time."

"_See you soon, then._"

Hitomi repeated the sentiment, then turned off the phone and set it on the table in the middle of the room. "Are you okay?" she asked Folken.

He was sitting on the tatami, leaning against the wall and holding his arm. "I'm fine," he said. "I just need to rest for a bit. I haven't overexerted myself like that in a long time."

"Sorry," Hitomi said, coming over to sit next to him. "Carrying me probably put a strain on you."

"It's no big deal," Folken said, waving it off. "So what's going on?"

"Amano is going to drive everyone over here," she said. "Naria is going to give him directions."

Folken's eyebrows shot up in question.

"Apparently my friends are beginning to understand Gaean," Hitomi replied. "Do you know why?"

Folken shrugged. "No more than I know why I can understand your language," he said. "But I don't think it really matters why - just that it's happening. It'll be a help to us, that's for certain."

"You've got a point." Hitomi leaned back against the wall and sighed.

"What?"

"A month ago I was just starting to believe that things were going to be normal," Hitomi said softly. "Then I was attacked. And now, only a day after I finally find out who's been attacking me - not to mention who's been saving me - I'm suddenly on the run from a mysterious force." She leaned forward and looked at Folken. "Are you _sure _you don't know what they want?"

Folken shook his head. "I have no idea what they want," he said. "Just that they're from Atlantis, that they're trying to eradicate all traces of Gaea from Earth, and that they're searching for something."

"How can they be from Atlantis?" Hitomi asked. "I thought that the survivors of Atlantis created Gaea to escape to, and that there were no more traces of them left on Earth."

"I thought the same thing," Folken replied, "but I suppose we were wrong about that."

Hitomi nodded. "Um…you said they were searching for something. Do you know what?"

"If I did, then we wouldn't be here," Folken said. "We'd be trying to get whatever it is _first_. I'm almost certain that it has something to do with Gaea, though."

"Everything seems to come back to Gaea," murmured Hitomi. "Do you think…maybe…we'll end up going back there?"

"I don't know," Folken said truthfully. "You might, but I probably won't. I'm dead there, remember?"

"But…you're alive now."

Folken looked away from her, towards the garden. "There's nothing left for me on Gaea."

Hitomi sat straight up. "What are you _talking_ about?! What about Fanelia? What about Van? _They're_ there!"

"I destroyed Fanelia," Folken said bitterly. "And Van hates me. You saw the way he acted towards me before I died. There's nothing left for me there."

"Van was crushed when you died, Folken," Hitomi said, looking at him earnestly. "The moment you died, I could feel his sorrow. You're his brother - he _can't_ hate you. And I _know_ he's forgiven you for Fanelia. That wasn't your fault. You wouldn't have done any of that if it weren't for Dornkirk."

Folken stood up and walked over to the windows, staring outside. "I didn't have to follow Dornkirk. But I felt that I owed him. And look at what it cost me - my home, and my brother. Why did I ever go on that stupid dragon slaying rite?" He seemed to be talking more to himself than to Hitomi, and her heart went out to him as she took in the dismal look on his face.

"Folken…"

A low chuckle emanated through the house, causing her to cut herself off. Folken spun around as Hitomi gasped, and they both stared at the intruder.

"How touching," the man as he walked out of one of the bedrooms. "Sorry to interrupt this heartfelt conversation , but I just couldn't take anymore. You were breaking my heart."

"Who are you?" growled Folken. "What do you want?"

The man smirked. "Only to do my job. Which is, of course, to kill you." He slid his large overcoat off, and from his back sprouted a set of huge white wings. "That is, if you insist on fighting. Otherwise…let's talk."

Hitomi and Folken stared at him in surprise.


	5. Dream Meeting

**The New Visions: The Dragon's Heart**

**Chapter Five: Dream Meeting**

"Who are you?" Folken demanded of the Atlantean.

The Atlantean propped one hand on his hip as he regarded Hitomi and Folken calmly. "You're Folken Lacur de Fanel, are you not? Once the crowned prince of Fanelia, then the successor to the throne of Zaibach, both of Gaea. Correct?"

"You know me, apparently, but I don't know you."

"Of course. Allow me to introduce myself – my name is Nicra. I'm a warrior under the High Priest and Priestess of the Atlantean Order."

"The Atlantean Order?" Hitomi echoed.

Nicra nodded. "The pure-blooded Atlanteans that remained on Earth rather than evacuate to the created world of Gaea." He regarded Hitomi and Folken calmly, taking in their surprised expressions. "Then it's true, I suppose, that no one on Gaea knew of our existence?"

"We were all under the impression that the Atlanteans left on Earth perished with the destruction of Atlantis."

"Ah, but Atlantis was never completely destroyed." Nicra nodded to Hitomi. "This girl has been there. Recently, in fact."

Folken looked at Hitomi, and she nodded slowly. "Yes…or something like it."

"The Atlantean Order abandoned Atlantis before it was destroyed," Nicra continued. "We hid ourselves among the lesser peoples of the world, shielding our wings and forcing ourselves to live on their levels. Some of us married normal humans, but for some reason, the resulting children were born without wings. They did, however, possess great psychic power that continued to be passed on." Nicra nodded to Hitomi. "You are a product of one of those pairings. You have the blood of Atlantis flowing in your veins, which is the reason you were able to travel to Gaea."

Hitomi couldn't hide her surprise. "But…I thought…"

"You thought the descendants of Atlantis had to be Draconians, didn't you?" Nicra shook his head. "More often than not, the wings faded – except in the cases of the half-bloods born on Gaea. For some reason, those children were allowed to keep their wings, although they had to sacrifice some of their psychic prowess."

"You've been to Gaea?" Folken asked.

"Not I," Nicra replied, "although I'd like to, someday. I don't share the same prejudices that the rest of my people do. My fellow purebloods have been raised to believe that anything tainted with human blood is lesser than them, and thus should be eradicated."

"Why?" Hitomi asked. "Is that why they're trying to kill me?"

"One of the reasons," Nicra said. "The other reason is that you have been to Gaea. The purebloods wish to eradicate all of Gaea – including those who live there – and in doing so seek to kill all those here on this Earth who have connections to Gaea. You are one of those, and because you told your friends about your journey, they are also targets. Anyone else you've told is, as well."

Folken paled. "Eriya, Naria…"

"Are in no danger right now," Nicra interrupted. "Neither are the boy and girl. I was sent here to take care of you, Hitomi Kanzaki, but instead I am taking the opportunity to act as double agent. Those sent to attack your friends will not do so until either I declare the two of you are dead, or a certain amount of time has passed. I will stall until the deadline, giving your friends enough time to get here. Then I will most likely be discovered as a traitor, and killed for my crimes."

"I don't understand," Hitomi said quietly. "If you'll die – why are you doing this?"

"To tell you what I know," Nicra said. "My time is limited. But I'll tell you right now that the purebloods cannot destroy Gaea without a certain power source hidden somewhere on this planet. To save Gaea, and yourselves, you need to get the power source first."

"And where is this power source?" Folken asked, frowning.

"Sealed away, and only one of dragon's blood can unlock it," Nicra replied. "And only one of dragon's blood who lived on Gaea. While the Atlantean order has the proper blood, none of them have the connections to dragons that those living on Gaea do."

"But one of them must!" Hitomi exclaimed. "They used a dragon to attack me and Folken!"

"They were manipulating a Draconian that they captured from Gaea many years ago, and controlling her power," Nicra said. "She's been sleeping under a spell all these years, controlled by the High Priestess, and if the High Priest and Priestess discover the location of the power source, they will use her to obtain it."

"So we have to get to the power source first," Hitomi said.

"Correct," Nicra said. "And you will need one of Draconian blood to unlock it."

"That's easy, then," Hitomi said, smiling. "We have Folken."

"Now all we need is the location of the power source," Folken said. He looked at Nicra. "Can you help us with that?"

Nicra looked downcast. "I'm afraid the only one with the knowledge of the power source's location is in the hands of the High Priestess – the Gaean Draconian whose power she is manipulating. To find the location, you'll have to free her. And she's being held in the Tower of Atlantis, which lies beneath the ocean's surface."

"Then how are we supposed to get there?"

The three of them looked up to see Naria standing in the entranceway to the house, Eriya, Yukari, and Amano behind her. From the looks on their faces it was clear that they had heard everything that Hitomi, Folken, and Nicra had been discussing.

Nicra didn't flinch at all at the cat woman's question. "My power can get you to the realm," he said. "It won't get to the Tower itself – I'm a soldier, and we aren't permitted to enter the Tower. You'll have to find your own way there. But once you're in Atlantis' realm, it should be easier. Before I take you there, however, you must all be certain that you want to do this. For once you enter Atlantis, there are no guarantees that you will ever return to Earth."

Yukari paled slightly, and looked at Hitomi. She was surprised to see the look of resolve on her friend's face – obviously Hitomi had already made up her mind, whether she realized it or not.

"How long do we have to decide?" Amano asked.

Nicra thought it over. "I wouldn't be able to transport you until tomorrow morning at best," he said. "I need time to gather my strength. So you have until I return then to decide."

"You won't stay here?" Hitomi asked.

"I'd be afraid of putting you all in danger," Nicra said softly.

"So you'll return tomorrow?" Naria asked.

Nicra nodded. "Tomorrow, then, I'll await your decision." His wings erupted from his back, and then wrapped around him. In a burst of light, he vanished, leaving the six alone in the house.

There was silence for a few moments, as everyone looked at everyone else, trying to detect some hint of what each other was thinking. Finally Folken sighed. "Let's sleep on this," he said. "Hitomi, you and your friends can sleep out here – Naria, Eriya, and I have our own rooms."

Hitomi nodded. "All right. Do you have extra futons?"

Folken nodded.

Despite the decision to sleep on it, Hitomi soon found that sleep was not going to come easily to her, nor to Yukari and Amano. She'd pretty much decided that she was going to agree to go to the Tower of Atlantis, but she didn't really want to get her friends involved. The way they saw it, though, was that they were _already_ in danger…what was a bit more? But they did have questions.

"So, Hitomi…are the Atlanteans _really_ trying to destroy Gaea?" Yukari asked. "Why would they do that?"

"I'm not sure," Hitomi replied. "The best I can figure is that they find Gaea as a tainted place. Gaea was created as a refuge for those who sought to leave Atlantis and live. The ones who stayed on Atlantis were too afraid to start over, and assumed they were going to die. Only it turns out they survived, and have been flourishing. Now those who stayed have only contempt for the ones who went to Gaea, and they want to destroy them." She bit her lip. "At least, that's what I got from all of this."

"Do you think this will end up with you going back to Gaea?" Amano asked quietly.

Hitomi shrugged to that. "Who knows? But I won't leave you two behind unless I'm sure that you're out of the danger. I pulled you into this, I'll pull you out."

"You didn't pull us into anything, Hitomi," Yukari said, smiling at her friend.

"Yeah, we were the ones who pried about information on Gaea," Amano agreed. "It was either tell us or get new friends."

"And I didn't want to do that," Hitomi added. She smiled. "I suppose it was partially your fault…and you know what? This may be a little selfish, but I'm glad I don't have to go through this alone this time."

"So, what have you decided?" Amano asked. "Are you going to do this?"

Hitomi bit her lip, and then nodded slowly. "I think so," she said. "I know Folken will, and Eriya and Naria will go with him – Gaea's their home, and they'll do anything to protect it. I can't just leave them…I owe Folken a lot. Not only for saving my life here, but for Gaea as well. And…"

"And if it does end up on Gaea, you want to go," Yukari finished. "You want to be back there." She smiled sadly. "You've always wanted to be back there."

Hitomi looked at her, startled. "Yukari…"

"I'm not blind, Hitomi," Yukari said. "I've seen you standing outside a night, looking up at the sky, always in the same direction. You pointed out once that you could find Gaea's approximate location in the sky…I know you miss it."

Hitomi bit her lip. "Not so much Gaea as…"

"Van?" Hitomi nodded. "How long as it been since you've seen him, Hitomi?" Amano asked.

"Six months," Hitomi replied. She sighed and rested her chin on the pillow of her futon. "I hope he's okay…"

Yukari stifled a yawn, then rubbed her eyes sleepily. "I don't know about the two of you, but I think I'm going to try falling asleep," she said. "We've got a big decision to make in the morning."

Amano nodded and rolled over onto his back. "Oyasumi," he said, yawning himself.

"Oyasumi," Hitomi murmured to her friends. _I'm sorry I dragged the two of you into this…I didn't want to. If I had known this would happen, I never would've told you about Gaea, but I just didn't want to lose you as friends…you're my only friends on this world…_ She pressed her face into her pillow, willing back tears. If anything happened to Amano or Yukari, she'd never forgive herself. This was all her fault…

Within seconds, she had fallen asleep, much more exhausted than she had anticipated.

* * *

_Where am I?_ Hitomi looked around the vast blue-green hall she'd suddenly found herself standing in. It was completely deserted and almost empty, save for two massive thrones on one end. _How did I get here?_

"Hitomi?"

Her eyes widened, and she spun around, finding herself face-to-face with someone she'd almost given up hope on ever seeing again. "Van!" Hitomi cried, running the few feet to him, throwing her arms around him and pressing her face into his shoulder. "It's really you! You're okay! You're alive!"

"Hitomi, where have you been?" Van asked, pulling back after a minute to look at her. "When I stopped seeing you, I thought something awful had happened. I've been trying to find a way back to your world ever since, but I haven't had any luck."

"I lost contact with you, too…I thought something had happened to you!" Hitomi said, looking up at him. "Are you okay? Nothing's wrong with Fanelia?"

Van shook his head. "No, everything's fine," he said. "What about you? And where are we?"

"I don't know," Hitomi said, looking around. "I've never seen this place before."

"Well, it's certainly nothing I've ever seen on Gaea," Van said. He frowned in thought. "You know…it sort of reminds me of the ruins of Atlantis."

Hitomi's eyes widened. "You're right!" _The ruins of Atlantis…but Atlantis wasn't ruined…so what _was_ that place?_ _There's something we're missing in all of this. _

"Look over there." Van's voice jolted her out of her thoughts, and she followed the length of his arm to looking in the direction he was pointing. There, on the far end of the hall, was a large coral door. "That seems to be the only door in this place."

"You're right." Hitomi took a step towards the door, but Van's hand on her arm stopped her.

"I'm getting an uneasy feeling about this place," he said. "Maybe we should be careful."

"Maybe…but I want to see what's on the other side of that door," Hitomi said. "Something tells me it's important."

Van smiled fondly at her. "You and your feelings…okay. We'll go together." He took her hand, and together they walked over to the door. A wave of warmth rushed over Hitomi, and she closed her eyes briefly.

"There's definitely something there," she said. "Can you feel it?"

Van nodded. "Yes…now that we're closer, I can. I wonder if it's locked."

"There's only one way to find out." Together, Hitomi and Van reached for the handle on the door…

Hitomi woke up and sat up so fast, she felt almost lightheaded.

"Take it easy," Naria whispered. "Sorry…I didn't mean to wake you. I was just getting something to drink."

Hitomi shook her head. "It's okay," she said, waving it off. Naria nodded, and went back to the room she was sharing with Folken and Eriya.

When she was gone, Hitomi wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. _What was that?_ she thought. _It didn't feel like a dream…was that really Van? Did I really see him again? He felt so real…_

Then her eyes widened. "If it was him," she whispered, "I should've warned him! I should've told him what was going on! Hitomi no baka!"

But really, how was she supposed to know if it had been a dream or not? Lying back down, Hitomi hoped fervently that it wasn't a dream, that she would be able to see Van again…and that together they'd be able to find out what was on the other side of that door.

She closed her eyes again, and fell back asleep.

She did not dream.


	6. The Key

**Escaflowne: The New Visions**

**The Dragon's Heart**

**Chapter Six: The Key**

The High Priestess stood in the middle of the room, the door to the throne room closed behind her. Only she was permitted to enter that door – not even her partner, the High Priest, had been inside, and had seen the treasure she kept here. At first, the High Priestess had spent much time in this room, trying to get the key to the Dragon's Heart, but to no avail…the prisoner refused to speak. As the years had rolled by…how many had it been? Eleven? Twelve? Something like that. And still the prisoner refused to give up the key.

So the High Priestess had sealed her into this room, and hadn't looked back.

Now, however, something disturbed her. A strange feeling, as if someone were sticking their nose into where it didn't belong. Someone…no, two someones…with power that rivaled her own. She didn't know who the second one was, but it was easy enough to identify the first – it had to the girl. What was her name…Hitomi? Yes, that was it. Had the child been born in Atlantis, she would've been in line for the priestess hood herself. Perhaps she would've even become High Priestess.

Fortunately for the current High Priestess, Hitomi had been born in _this_ day and age, and was no more Atlantean than those cursed Draconians of Gaea, _despite _the blood running through her veins.

"Well," the High Priestess said, looking up at her prisoner. "What were you hoping to accomplish? Was it you who tried to reach out to them? We have the girl under surveillance…not even in her dreams can she reach you."

Dark eyes looked down at her, a frown on a once beautiful face now marred with scars and bruises from interrogations past. Black hair hung from the pale face, and the High Priestess could remember when it had been a length that had rivaled her own – she'd sheered the prisoner's hair off out of pure spite. But despite the long years, defiance and hatred was still visible in her eyes.

"Why do you look at me like that?" the High Priestess asked. "Really…you brought this onto yourself, marrying that human the way you did. Even if you _were_ born on Gaea, your bloodline had been pure…until you gave birth to those brats. That's what condemned you – we could've gladly chosen another, less pure Draconian." A wicked smile curled on her face. "Even one of your sons."

The Draconian woman growled softly. She hadn't spoken in years, might not even be capable of it anymore…but she could get her point across in other ways.

_Mess with my children, witch, and you'll die. _

The High Priestess' eyes widened. "So you _do_ have the power…I knew it! Foolish woman, revealing it after so long." She narrowed her eyes. "I don't suppose either of your brats…"

_How should I know? _was the sharp retort. _You took me away from them before they would've shown the signs. _

"Watch your mouth," the High Priestess snapped. "Tell me now…_did_ you aid the Kanzaki girl in knowing the location of this room?"

There was no reply.

She cursed loudly. "Mark my words, _bitch_…one day, you'll pay. You, your children, your country. I'll destroy you all!"

Her words echoing behind her, she spun and left the room, leaving the prisoner shrouded in darkness. Alone, once more.

As she had been since that fateful day.

As she would be until the end of her days.


	7. Journey Into Atlantis

**Escaflowne: The New Visions**

**The Dragon's Heart**

**Chapter Seven: Journey Into Atlantis**

The morning's first light crept in through the windows, waking Folken from his sleep. Shielding his eyes from the sun, he sat up and looked around, for a moment not recognizing where he was, and then rememberingthat they had returned to the safe house the night before. Eriya and Naria were curled up in a pile in the corner, sleeping just like they had been since they were kittens.

Picking up his shirt, Folken pulled it on and then left the room, entering the main room. He sniffed the air. "Breakfast?"

"That's right," Yukari said cheerfully from the kitchen area. "I woke up early, and hungry, so I decided to see what you had around the kitchen. You don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all," Folken said, relieved. "None of us are very good cooks." He looked around, searching for the other two. He saw Amano near the wall of windows, in the middle of a series of moves that Hitomi had referred to as 'push-ups'. "Good morning."

"Ohayo," Amano grunted as he finished up his exercising, and then began his stretches. "Didn't wake you, did we?"

"No." Folken walked over to the windows and looked out at the garden. "Where's Hitomi?"

"She went for a walk in the gardens," Yukari said. "Amano and I weren't sure it was a good idea, but she seemed certain that it was safe, and, well…we never doubt Hitomi."

"No, I don't imagine there are many who do." Folken opened the sliding door and stepped out into the garden, closing it behind him.

"Hard to imagine that guy destroyed his own country, ne?" Amano looked at Yukari.

Yukari nodded. "I'm glad he's on our side."

Hitomi lay on her back in the middle of the garden, eyes closed, as she let the sun's warmth wash over her face. She'd always done this in her backyard whenever she was feeling overwhelmed and couldn't find a place to run. Wisps of last night's dream rolled through her mind, becoming fainter and fainter with each replay, until she had to stop thinking about it all together or risk losing it completely.

There was a rustle behind her, and she sat up, looking over to see Folken walking down the path from the house. "Are you okay?"

Hitomi smiled. "You always seem to pop up whenever I'm thinking," she said, referring to the time on Gaea when he'd intercepted her at the end of one of her runs.

"I'm like a bad penny that way," Folken agreed. "I keep turning up."

"Oh, you're not a bad penny," Hitomi said, drawing her knees up to her chest. "So stop saying things like that."

"Gomen nasai," Folken said.

"Hey, you're picking up Japanese pretty well."

"About as well as your friends are picking up Gaean," Folken replied. "It's odd, how they suddenly began to understand what we were saying…although, I was surprised at first that most people in this world don't speak Gaean. I wasn't aware they were two different languages – you always knew what we were saying."

Hitomi nodded. "I wonder…if that has anything to do with being descended from Atlantis," she said thoughtfully. She looked at him. "What do you think?"

"Perhaps," Folken said. "I don't pretend to know much about this…a lot of this is new to me. I wasn't even aware that Atlantis still existed in this world as a populated place."

"Neither was I," muttered Hitomi. She sighed.

"Is something wrong?"

"I didn't sleep much last night," she said.

"Too worried about the decision?"

"No." She shook her head. "I think…I think I knew what my decision was going to be from the start. I bet you did, too."

Folken nodded, and he sat down beside her. "It seems that out of all of us, you and I don't have many choices. This all goes back to Atlantis – again. So why did you have trouble sleeping?"

Hitomi was momentarily thrown off track by the sudden revert back to her sleeping habits. "I had a dream…" she murmured.

"Oh?"

"But I don't remember exactly what it was about," she added, sighing and resting her chin on her knees. "A door…and…I think I saw Van…"

Folken looked at her sharply. "You did?"

"I think so…I have this vague memory, but most of it's pretty dim." Hitomi sighed. "I'm sorry…I'd tell you more if I could remember, but I can't. I do remember thinking when I woke up that it didn't really seem like a dream…but now that I'm fully awake, I know it had to have been."

"I see." Folken tilted his head back to look up at the sky. He pointed a spot on the horizon. "If you could see Gaea from here like you can see the Mystic Moon from Gaea, she'd be right there."

"I know," Hitomi said. "I look at that spot all the time."

The two of them lapsed into silence, sitting side by side and looking at the sky, both lost in thoughts of Gaea and the friends they'd been separated from.

"Cozy, ne?"

Hitomi and Folken jumped, then stood and turned. "Nicra!" Hitomi exclaimed. "You're back!"

The Atlantean folded his arms over his chest. "Did you doubt me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The thought did cross my mind once or twice," Folken replied. "There was always the possibility that you were laying a trap. But you've returned…alone. Which means that now we have to make a decision?"

Nicra nodded. "Although listening to your conversation, I'd say the two of you have already decided. And the other four?"

"They're inside," Hitomi said. "I'll go get them." She ran off to the house.

Folken turned to Nicra. "There's something you aren't telling us. What is it?"

Nicra looked taken aback for a moment, and then looked troubled. "Last night…the High Priestess was in a fit," he replied. "I heard it through the Syndicate -- my group of Atlanteans who wish for peace between Atlantis, Earth, and Gaea – that she wasn't at _all_ happy. Seems something triggered her power, and she wasn't expecting it."

"Her power?" Folken asked.

"That's right, you wouldn't know." Nicra looked up at the sky. "The High Priestess of Atlantis is chosen based on her power. There are only two ways a new High Priestess can be chosen – if she is challenged and defeated in battle, or if she dies. Then whoever defeats her or has the most power at the time of her death becomes the new High Priestess."

Folken frowned. "This power…what is it?"

"The power of Seerness," Nicra replied. "Or, as the humans refer to it, being psychic. Fortune-telling." He nodded in the direction Hitomi had gone. "Like that girl does."

Folken nodded in comprehension. "I see…so, tell me. This power of Seerness…what does this have to do with the High Priestess last night?"

"Well, rumor has it that someone got through her shields," Nicra said.

"Shields?"

"One of the High Priestess' duties is to use her power to protect Atlantis from outside invasion," Nicra said. "For someone to get through her shields, it means they must be more powerful than she. This particular Priestess has been in power for ages…no one's sure how she's lived so long, but the Syndicate suspects it has something to do with the High Priest – the ruler of Atlantis and the High Priestess' female counterpart."

"So she was nervous because there was a sign that someone might have more power than she," Folken murmured, nodding slightly.

"Exactly."

"What does it mean?"

Nicra sighed. "It means that getting inside Atlantis is going to be trickier than I imagined. Not only am I now a wanted criminal, but the High Priestess is going to be on even higher alert. Most likely, your entrance into the city won't go unnoticed by her…which means you'll have people after you almost immediately."

"So we aren't going?"

Folken and Nicra looked over to see Hitomi standing there with Amano, Yukari, Naria, and Eriya. One look at their faces told them what had been decided.

"You'll go?" Folken asked, just to be sure.

"Of course, Folken-sama," Eriya said, smiling at him. Naria nodded in agreement. "Did you expect us to do anything else?"

"And you two?" This was to Amano and Yukari.

"Well, if we stay here, our lives will _still_ be in danger…so we might as well stick with the people who know something about this," Yukari said matter-of-factly.

"Besides," Amano added, "we're not leaving Hitomi."

"You guys," Hitomi said softly. She smiled at them. "Arigatou…"

"Anytime," Yukari said, smiling at her. Then she turned to Nicra, and repeated her earlier question. "So we aren't going?"

"Oh, you're going," Nicra said. "You just need to be aware that it's going to be even more dangerous. If the High Priestess hadn't felt someone breaking into her shields, she probably wouldn't have noticed you until you'd been there a day or two. You're going to need to get to the Tower as fast as you can…and you'll need to be prepared to fight."

Amano and Yukari blanched at that. "Fight?" Yukari asked weakly. "Demo…"

"Leave the fighting to us," Folken said, motioning to himself, Eriya, and Naria. "We'll keep you safe."

"You shouldn't have to do _everything_," Amano protested.

"They've had experience with battle," Hitomi said, looking at Amano and Yukari. "Trust me…they can handle it." Her friends still looked upset about having to rely on Folken and the catwomen.

Nicra cleared his throat. "I'm assuming you still want to go, despite the danger?"

They all nodded.

"Then you can discuss this later…the gate will only be open for a short amount of time, and it's the only way I can get you inside without the High Priestess immediately knowing your location." Nicra removed a small green orb from beneath his cloak.

Hitomi's eyes widened. "I know that! That's an energist, the same type of energist Van used to get into Zaibach the first time!"

Nicra nodded. "This is a minor energist, used to transport beings from place to place within one world. To transport between worlds, you need a major energist, or Dragenergist. Remember that…it's important in order for you to leave Atlantis."

Nicra held the energist up towards the same, then closed his eyes and murmured a few words. The energist began to glow, and Hitomi shivered as she felt a familiar energy – the same energy that had powered the pillar of light that had first brought her to Gaea.

Something whizzed by Hitomi's ear, and she gasped when she saw the arrow hit the ground behind her – a near miss! "We're being attacked!" she cried.

Nicra spun around, and saw a trio of Atlanteans perched on the roof, each with a bow and arrow pointed at the group. "Halt!" one of them shouted. "Nicra el Shirandal, you're under arrest for treason against the High Order of Atlantis. Halt what you're doing this instant!"

Nicra growled softly, and then tossed the energist to Folken. "Go!" he snapped. "I'll take care of them!"

"But…!" Folken's words were cut off as the pillar of light surrounded them, lifting them off the ground…and when it vanished, they were gone.

Nicra turned to face the guards, his wings exploding from his back as he pulled his sword from his sheath. _Good luck, _he thought…and then he realized that there were _four_ guards, not three…

There was a scream, another flash of light, and then silence.


	8. Secret Passages

**Escaflowne: The New Visions**

**The Dragon's Heart**

**Chapter Eight: Secret Passages**

The landing was more than a little bumpy…not at all like the smooth landing Hitomi had experienced all those times she'd traveled between Earth and Gaea.

"My hip," Yukari moaned.

"My spine," Amano groaned. Yukari's hip had landed on his back.

"Come on, you two," Folken said, picking himself up off the ground. "We need to…" His voice trailed off as he looked around at their surroundings.

It was an entire city, and sure enough, it was deep underwater. This was obvious from the view _around_ the city…the entire place seemed to be covered in a dome of water. The water stopped and formed an arc around it, almost as if there were an invisible shield.

"Amazing," murmured Naria. "Even more so than anything Zaibach ever created." Her sister nodded in awed amazement.

Hitomi was equally in awe, staring at the rising the buildings inside the dome. "It's…unbelievable," she said. "This shouldn't be possible, but it is. Why hasn't anyone ever found this place before? It's huge."

"Magic," Folken replied. "This place is crawling with it. There's not a doubt in my mind that magic is the reason Atlantis has kept hidden from the world for so long."

"What now?" Eriya asked, looking at him.

"Let's walk," he said. "We need to get our bearings in this place. Stay close to each other – we don't want to get separated. Remember, this place is full of our enemies."

Hitomi nodded, not needing to be reminded twice. She got to her feet and looked around, taking in the sights of the city. "It's so beautiful," she murmured. "How could anyone capable of creating such beauty like this also be the ones trying to destroy Gaea? I don't understand…"

"Few can recognize beauty in what they see every day of their lives," Folken said quietly. "That was what caused Atlantis to sink beneath the ocean's surface, and Gaea to be created, in the first place."

"We're going to be awfully conspicuous if we try to venture out of the alleys," Naria said, peering out of the alley at the busy streets around them. She only chanced a quick look, pulling her head back before anyone could catch a glimpse of her.

"Then we'll just have to stick to them," Eriya replied, looking at her sister.

"Easier said than done," Amano said, looking around. "I think this alleyway is a dead end."

The two catwomen paused, and looked around. "You're right…" Eriya said, frowning. "Well. What are we supposed to do now?"

"We should have asked Nicra before we came here," Yukari said, wrapping her arms around herself. "Why would he have dropped up in the middle of a dead end alleyway?"

"Maybe a trap?" Amano muttered, brushing his hair out of his face.

"I doubt we'd still be standing here talking if it were a trap," Naria replied. "Maybe he sent us to the wrong location?"

"Too bad he isn't around to ask," Eriya said, scowling.

While the four of them were discussing this interesting and unexpected turn of events, Hitomi had walked over to the wall marking the end of the alleyway, and was looking at it curiously. There was something odd about the material it was made out of it…it seemed much smoother than the visible roughness of texture implied.

"Find something interesting?"

She jumped slightly, looking up to see Folken standing next to her unexpectedly. "Oh – I was just looking at this wall," she said. "When you look at it from a distance, it looks like it would be extremely rough at the touch, but the closer you look the smoother it seems."

Folken raised an eyebrow and examined the wall. He reached out his arm and touched it with his fingers, and his eyes widened. "It _is_ smoother than it seems…there isn't a bit of texture anywhere."

"What?" Hitomi looked startled, and reached out to touch the wall as well. "You're right…" She ran her hand along the surface, then winced suddenly as her fingers were roughly scraped. She pulled her hand back and stuck her fingers in her mouth. "Ouch…!"

"Are you okay?" Folken asked her.

"Fine…just surprised," she replied. "The smooth section ends abruptly, right here." She touched the very edge of it, then ran her finger up until it hit another rough patch. "It's a perfect, vertical line…"

"What are you two doing?" Amano asked curiously, coming over to stand with them.

Folken ignored him, stepping closer to examine the wall, mimicking Hitomi's actions with his own hand. "You're right," he replied. "Most of it is just normal stone, rough and untouched – except for right here." He moved his hand up until it hit another rough patch, then began moving it over, tracing a perfect, rectangular shape. "It's a doorway," he replied. "Some how, this is a doorway that's been sealed."

"Where does it lead?" Hitomi wondered, stepping back and cocking her head to one side thoughtfully.

"More importantly," Amano said, having caught on to what they were talking about, "how do we get it open?"

"There doesn't seem to be a catch or a lock or anything," Folken said, kneeling down to examine the area towards the ground. He frowned, then reached out and placed the palm of his good hand against the smooth stone of the door.

The surface rippled, like a lake whose water had been disturbed by a pebble being through into it.

Folken jerked his hand back, his eyes widening as he stared at the door. "The hell?"

"It moved!" Hitomi gasped, as Eriya, Naria, and Yukari hurried over to see what was going on. "Folken, do that again."

Folken reached out again, cautiously, and repeated the action, this time keeping his hand on the stone longer. It started to ripple, then slowly go from opaque to clear, until there was nothing there but a dark hallway on the other side.

Folken stood up. "It's open," he said, keeping his hand outstretched just in case the doorway closed the moment he pulled it back. "Do we go through?"

"Do we have any other options?" Hitomi asked, looking at him.

"Not that I can see," Folken replied. He looked back over his shoulder at the others. "I'll hold it open – go through."

Yukari looked warily at the door. "I don't know…"

Eriya rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on," she said, grabbing Yukari's arm and stalking forward. She practically dragged Yukari through the door, disappearing into the darkened hallway.

Amano and Naria looked at each other, shrugged, and followed.

Hitomi paused, looking at Folken, who still had his arm shoved through the doorway. "Go on," Folken said, nodding. "I'll be right behind you."

"Okay." Hitomi stepped through, peering into the darkness. She could barely make out Yukari and the others a few feet down the hallway, waiting for them. Then, suddenly, it seemed to get darker, the only light coming from a few candles high up on the walls.

A hand clamped down on Hitomi's shoulder, and she jumped.

"It's just me," Folken replied. She breathed a sigh of relief, and turned to look at him. "The door shut the minute I went through – and when I tried to open it again, it wouldn't. I guess it's only one way."

"Which makes me wonder what kind of place we just walked into," Amano muttered under his breath, brushing his shoulder-length hair back from his eyes and looking down the hallway. "Can anyone see more than three feet in front of them?"

"We can," Eriya and Naria replied. Naria smiled. "Cats have _very_ good eyes in the dark – isn't that right, sister?"

Eriya nodded, an identical smile on her face. "Lord Folken…may we scout ahead?"

Folken nodded. "Don't get too far ahead – we'll be behind you. If you see anything or anyone, come back immediately."

"Yes, Lord Folken," they said simultaneously, bowing to him, then turning and darting off into the darkness.

"Do we follow them…?" Yukari asked nervously.

Hitomi looked at Folken, then nodded. "Slowly, though. We don't know where this leads, or what to expect."

"Hopefully it doesn't lead straight to the enemy," Yukari murmured, wrapping her arms around herself as she started down the hallway, Amano beside her. The hallway was only wide enough for them to walk in pairs of two – Folken and Hitomi took up the rear, while Amano and Yukari led the way.

Hitomi shivered slightly, a cold breeze rushing down the hallway from somewhere. There was no indication of the source of the breeze, except that it seemed to be coming from ahead of them. There was no sign of Eriya and Naria – they must have gotten a good head start and moved quickly.

"I don't hear _anything_," Hitomi whispered softly, shivering slightly. "It's so quiet here…"

"A little _too_ quiet," Amano intoned, earning him a smack on the arm from Yukari. "Sorry – couldn't help myself."

"Well, next time, don't help yourself in silence," Yukari groused.

"Yes, ma'am."

"I see who wears the pants in that relationship," Folken murmured to Hitomi, who stifled a giggle.

As they descended further down the stairway, Hitomi looked at the walls. The candlelight faintly illuminated carvings on the walls that looked vaguely familiar. "Folken, look at these," Hitomi said softly, reaching out and lightly touching the wall as they walked.

"What about them?" Folken asked, glancing at the carvings but not finding anything particular spectacular about them.

"I saw carvings like this on a monument in the Atlantis that I visited on Gaia," Hitomi replied. "The monument told about the fall of Atlantis, and how they had created Gaia as a new haven…"

Folken looked at her with renewed interest. "Are you saying you can read these?"

Hitomi shook her head. "No," she said. "The only reason I knew what the monument said was because I had a psychic flash when I touched it – Van and Allen were there, too, but Van was the only other one who saw the scenes that I saw." She bit her lip, remembering how locked into himself Van had been when she'd found him, and how she almost hadn't been able to snap him out of it long enough to escape the vision. "There was a lot of energy in that monument – there isn't any in these carvings. But it's the same writing."

"Which makes me wonder just where we are," Folken said quietly. "I feel like we're missing something – Nicra said to expect to be attacked almost immediately upon arrival, but we've been completely unmolested since we got here. We ended up in a dead end alley, with not a soul in sight, and were able to uncover this door without attracting attention."

"Maybe someone else is watching out for us," Hitomi whispered, laughing slightly. Then she paused, and looked at Folken, who was looking back at her.

"You might be right," he said.

"If I am, then I hope the reason they're shielding us is because they're our friend, and aren't just trying to lead us into a trap," Hitomi said, biting her lip. She slipped her hand into her pocket and stroked the soft feather that was hidden there. _Maybe…whoever it was, was the one who let me see Van in my dream…maybe that really _was_ more than a dream…_ She forced those thoughts out of her mind. She wasn't going to think about Van, not right now. There was no guarantee she would get back to Gaea, or even that Van would be waiting for her there if she did.

Folken grabbed her arm and stopped her from walking into Yukari's back, and she snapped out of her thoughts to realize that they had stopped. They'd caught up to Eriya and Naria, who were standing in a large arched entryway, crouching down slightly and peering around the corner. The area beyond the hallway emanated an orangish light, almost like firelight, that flickered on the walls.

"What is it?" Folken whispered.

"There are people in there," Naria whispered. "Eight of them, all in a circle. I can't make out any faces – they're wearing hooded cloaks."

"And they're armed," Eriya murmured. "But from the way they're standing around, it doesn't look like they're expecting to be attacked. It's more as if they just walk around with weapons all the time. They seemed used to it."

"Why would they be used to it?" Amano asked. "This doesn't seem like the kind of place where anyone would just walk around with weapons for the hell of it."

"There must be a reason," Yukari said. "What I want to know is, how are we going to get around them?"

"Shh!" Naria suddenly hissed, holding up her hand and motioning for them to be quiet. "They're doing something."

The six of them fell silent as they watched one of the hooded figures move into the center of the circle to stand on a black star carved into the floor. The figure reached into their cloak and pulled out a shining orb, and raised it high above their head.

With a flash, a bright light engulfed the person, and when it vanished, there was one less person in the room.

One by one, the other seven repeated this same action, until all of them had disappeared.

Cautiously, Eriya and Naria moved into the room, then motioned for the others to follow. "They disappeared," Eriya said, looking around with wide eyes.

Hitomi was looking up at the ceiling. "That light…it was the same as the pillar of light that took me to Gaea," she said.

"And those were energists that they were using," Folken said grimly. "I think we just found how they've been getting from Atlantis to the rest of the world."

Hitomi looked at him. "What if they were going to Gaea?" she asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, Hitomi," Amano said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Remember was Nicra told us? There are two types of energists – one for traveling within a world, and the other for traveling between worlds. I think the ones they were using were the kind he used to get us here, the one for within a world." Amano had been the only other one aside from Eriya and Naria to see what had happened clearly, being a couple feet taller than everyone else save Folken, who had been too far back to get a clear look.

Folken looked at the two cat-women. "Is he right?"

Naria and Eriya exchanged glances, then nodded. "It looked that way to us, Lord Folken," Eriya replied.

Hitomi breathed a sigh of relief. "Good," she said softly.

"So where do you think they were going?" Yukari asked.

"My guess is, to find that power source that Nicra told us about," Folken said. "The Atlanteans must still not know the location of it. That's reassuring – it means we still have a chance."

"Not if we waste time standing around here," Amano pointed out. He looked around the room, then pointed at a doorway across from where they'd entered. "Look. Another set of stairs."

"Let's go, then," Hitomi said. "But cautiously. There might be more of those cloaked people."

Eriya and Naria moved out first, eyeing the shadows of the room as if expecting to be attacked at any moment. When it appeared that they were going to be able to pass through the room without trouble, they paused and waved the others forward.

"Folken, look at these markings on the floor," Hitomi said as they crossed the room. She was staring down at the pentagram that the Atlanteans had stood in to leave. Rimmed around the edge of the circle were various markings that seemed familiar to her. "Outside the circle. Isn't that more of the Atlantean language? The same language that was on the walls?"

Folken nodded. "I wish I knew how to read them," he said. "Can you?"

She shook her head. "No…I only read them that one time, in the Shadow Atlantis on Gaea, and I had my pendant with me at the time. I was hoping you might know."

"My mother could read the language," Folken said quietly, and since Hitomi had never heard either Folken or Van speak much about their mother, she couldn't help herself from looking at him. "But it was a dying dialect when I was born, and gone completely by the time Van came around. She saw no point in trying to teach it to us. Despite being Draconians, she wanted us to focus on learning the ways of our father's people, since that was the culture we were destined to be part of."

"I see," Hitomi said softly. She didn't miss the slightly forlorn tone in Folken's voice. She imagined that he probably would have liked learning more about his mother's people. She bit her lip, wondering if there was anything she was supposed to say, but couldn't think of anything else.

"Will you two hurry up?" Yukari called from the other staircase. "I want to get out of here sometime before New Years."

"Sorry!" Hitomi hurried to catch up, with Folken moving at a more resigned pace behind her.

"Well, no traps crossing that room," Eriya said. "These stairs go up. This must be the lowest chamber."

"I hate being underground," Yukari said with a shudder. Amano put his arm around her shoulders, and she leaned into him.

"We may as well go up, then, if that's the only route," Folken said. "Eriya, Naria, if you'll lead the way again…?"

"Of course," Naria said, already turning to begin the trek up the stairs. Once more, they fell into twos, with Folken and Hitomi again picking up the lead.

"These stairs seem a lot more steep than the other ones," Hitomi said as she picked her way carefully after the others, running one hand lightly against the wall for more balance. "The stairwell is wider, as well. And the stonework seems…older."

"Older?" Folken asked questioningly, looking at her.

Hitomi flushed, realizing he'd actually been paying attention to her. "Oh…don't mind me," she said. "I'm just talking to myse-ELF!" She failed to lift her foot high enough to make it to the next step, and the toe of her shoe clipped the stone, throwing her off balance. With a startled cry she fell against the wall of the staircase.

Faster than Folken could react, the wall seemed to give way, leaving empty space behind Hitomi instead of hard stone, and Hitomi disappeared from sight.


	9. Trapped

**Escaflowne: The New Visions**

**The Dragon's Heart**

**Chapter Nine: Trapped**

Hitomi wasn't sure how long she fell. All she knew was that when she hit the bottom, it _hurt_. A _lot._ Falling seemed to be a pattern in her life these days. She'd only barely recovered from the arrival at Atlantis, only to find herself once again falling a very long way.

And landing on her rear end. Again.

With a groan, Hitomi staggered to her feet, rubbing the small of her back. She looked around, glancing up to try and see how far she had fallen.

Only to see a ceiling less than five feet above her.

Hitomi blinked. "What the…?" She looked around – there was a ceiling, a floor, and walls. Including one wall directly in front of her with the same lettering on it that had been on the wall she'd fallen through. She frowned slightly. In fact, the lettering was almost exactly the same, except that some of the symbols were patterned opposite from how they had been.

She reached out and pressed her hand against the wall, but try as she might, she couldn't get it to budge. She could not get the same effect to happen.

Sighing, she leaned against the wall. What in the world was going on? Was she just going crazy?

"You're on the right track," a soft voice said from somewhere in front of her. "But that's only an entrance, not an exit."

Hitomi blinked. For the first time, she noticed that the room she was in wasn't truly a room – it was a hallway. Several feet away it opened into what appeared to be a much larger room. Curious, she cautiously approached the room.

It was a massive dome, the ceiling curving several dozen feet above her head. The stone was worn smooth in a soft blue hue, every inch of the surface without a mark. It was as if whoever had built the dome had refused to use any stone that was anything short of perfection. The effect was breathtaking.

In the middle of the dome was a crystalline structure. The towers of crystal intertwined with each up, arching upwards. Hitomi thought they resembled the branches of a tree without leaves. They twined together at the bottom, like a trunk, and then spread up as they grew upwards.

Hitomi's eyes went wide as she got closer.

Nestled in the branches of the tree was a young woman, a pair of wings sprouting from her back. But those wings quite clearly couldn't be used for flight – the feathers were shorn and the structural bone snapped. She didn't appear to be in any pain, and the weary look on her face made it appear as if she were resigned to the broken appendages. Her hair was cut raggedly to her chin, like someone had taken a knife to it rather than a pair of scissors. Her arms hung limply at her sides, and she didn't look ready to move at any time.

When she saw Hitomi staring at her, she smiled slightly. "You don't have to stand there gaping like a fish," she said. "You can come closer. I don't bite."

Startled, Hitomi obediently moved closer to the tree. "Who are you?"

The woman's smile dimmed slightly. "You do not recognize me, Hitomi?"

The familiar way that she spoke to her made Hitomi think that she really ought to know this woman, but try as she might she just couldn't place her. She shook her head slightly. "No…gomen nasai, but I'm afraid not. I don't think we've ever met before."

"Not in person, perhaps," the woman replied. "But I know you well…Hitomi Kanzaki. Daughter of Atlantis, just as I am."

Confusion flickered across Hitomi's face, and it occurred to her for the first time that the woman was probably not entirely right in the head. But she didn't seem to be a danger. "Ano…why are you in that tree?"

"Because I am a prisoner." With a sigh, she closed his eyes, letting her head lie back against the crystallized branches. What was left of her wings hung limply from her back. "I cannot fly. And I have not the strength to climb down. Even if I did, where would I go? Back to Gaea? My people are gone, my sons…is it true, Hitomi Kanzaki? Has Fanelia been destroyed? I cannot…I cannot see it any longer. The High Priestess drains my powers, until I can barely see what's right in front of my face. I cannot see my sons anymore… Van… Folken…Oh, Gou, forgive me…"

Hitomi let out a soft gasp, listening to the woman's ranting. "Varie?"

The once Queen of Fanelia turned her head once more to look at her, opening her eyes. She smiled slightly. "You do know me."

Her expression was a mixture of clarity and insanity – however long she had been trapped within this room, she was clearly only a shadow of the woman she had once been. She'd held on for as long as she could, that much Hitomi was sure of…but something had broken her. When, Hitomi couldn't be sure of. But there was enough sanity left in her words to indicate that it had to have been recently.

"He tried…he tried to save me," Varie murmured. "He said my son lived. I asked him to bring him, but he never returned. Never returned. Did you see him, Hitomi? Van? I wanted to let you see him so badly. I knew you missed him. I tried to help, but she stopped me. She was so, so furious…she cut my hair in her fury…"

"My dream," Hitomi said softly. She raised her voice. "Yes…yes, Varie, I saw him! I saw Van. He's all right. He's alive, on Gaea!"

There was a flicker of emotion in Varie's eyes, and then they went blank. "My poor baby boy," Varie whispered. "I left him alone. I just wanted to find his brother. He must be so frightened, so scared…I never found him. Never…she found me first…"

"Folken's alive, too, Varie!" Hitomi said. "He came here, with me. Demo, we were separated…I fell through the wall. I don't know how to get back to him."

"I let you in," Varie murmured. "I can let you out again. This room leads…anywhere. That's how he came to see me. He knew the glyphs. He taught them to me."

Try as she might, Hitomi could not figure out who this third 'he' was. She bit her lip. "You can let me out again?" Hitomi asked.

Varie closed her eyes again, and nodded. She waved her hand, and a series of images appeared in the air. "Touch these…these glyphs," she murmured. "They'll open the door. They will take you back."

Hitomi memorized the images before they vanished, and nodded. She looked at the broken Draconian woman, and swallowed. She couldn't just leave her there, but there was nothing she could do for her alone. "I'll come back, Varie," she said softly. "I promise."

Varie didn't open her eyes again, merely reclining her head. Hitomi stared at her for a minute, then turned and rushed back to the wall of glyphs. Searching out the proper symbols, she carefully tapped out the command to allow her to exit the room.

One. Two. Three. Four. F…

Just as her finger was about to hit the final symbol, a hand reached out and grasped her wrist. Hitomi gasped as she was suddenly yanked backward, away from the wall. The glyphs shimmered for a moment, and then vanished.

"Well, well, well," a low female voice purred. "What do we have here?"

The woman spun Hitomi around so that they were facing each other, and Hitomi's throat clenched. The markings on the woman's face, her height, and the angular shape of her bone structure all indicated that she was Atlantean. So did the mass of wings protruding from her shoulders, so large they hung behind her like a bridal veil's train. She wore a shimmering gold dress, and a matching headpiece on top of her head. Power rolled off of her in waves.

Hitomi tried to step back, but the Atlantean's grip was tight on her wrist. It grew tighter as she squeezing, and Hitomi gasped as her arm screamed in protest, pain shooing up its length. "Itai…" she whispered.

"So," the woman said. "You are the girl with the power that threatens me. The one who has been to Gaea."

Hitomi's breath caught in her throat as she stared into the woman's eyes. She'd through Varie was mad, but compared to the Atlantean, Varie was merely perfectly sane. This woman…this woman was crazed. The expression of malice she wore was terrifying.

"Let go of me," Hitomi whispered.

The Atlantean's hand struck her across the face, the stones from her rings biting into Hitomi's cheek. Hitomi squeezed her eyes shut, biting her lip to keep from making any sound. She didn't want to set the woman off again.

With a yank, she dragged Hitomi back into the dome room. She had no choice but to stumble after her, her wrist still caught tightly in the woman's grasp.

The woman stopped and threw Hitomi ahead of her. "So," she said, looking up at Varie in her crystal tree. "This is the wretch you've decided to use as your trump card," she hissed. "You think you can just call her into Atlantis on your own free will?"

Hitomi winced as her knees hit the ground, aching as much as her wrist did. Varie didn't respond, though she did turn to look at them."

"Foolish witch," the Atlantean hissed at Varie. "How dare you presume to make decisions? This is my kingdom, and my temple, and you have no power here!"

"And yet," Varie said calmly, "I was able to transmit a vision to both my son and my future daughter-in-law, and you were unable to do anything about it. Is this your power, High Priestess? I'm not impressed."

High Priestess? Hitomi glanced back at the woman. So this was the High Priestess, the one who supposedly ruled Atlantis with her power.

The High Priestess' face flushed with anger. "How dare you speak to me that way," she hissed. "You're naught more than a slave!"

"Who is the slave, and who is the master?" Varie murmured.

The High Priestess' lip curled in disgust. "I tire of your riddles, Varie. Stay here and ponder them yourself. Or rather, with your new friend. Because I guarantee that you are both going to stay here for a very, _very_ long time." She raised her arm, and vanished.

Varie and Hitomi were left alone in the room. When Hitomi finally got to her feet to go back to the wall, the glyphs had vanished.

She was trapped.


End file.
